Dear Parishioners and Friends:

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we celebrate the three holiest days of our Church Year. Sadly, we will do it without the ability to gather as the beloved community.

On Holy Thursday, we will miss the opportunity to receive the Freshly Blessed Oils from our Bishop, oils used in our Sacraments of Baptism (Oil of Catechumens, Sacred Chrism); Confirmation (Sacred Chrism); Ordination of Priests and Deacons (Sacred Chrism); and, Anointing of the Sick and Dying (Oil of the Sick). We will not have the opportunity to have our feet washed, mirroring the example of Jesus with his disciples at the Last Supper that the true leader is also servant to the least among us; and, we will miss celebrating the Institution of the Eucharist, Jesus freely offering himself, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, for our own spiritual nourishment and strengthening.

On Good Friday, we will miss the opportunity to be bystanders as Jesus is betrayed, denied, abandoned, falsely judged, whipped and beaten, crowned with thorns, stripped naked, crucified and dies on the cross and is buried. We will miss the opportunity to come forward in procession to kiss or touch the cross in veneration of Jesus’ sacrifice.

On Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil just after sunset, we will miss the opportunity to gather around the sacred fire of creation to bless and light the Paschal Candle (the Light of Christ which shines throughout the Easter Season and at baptisms and funerals), to light our own candles from that blessed Light and process into a darkened church where the Light of Christ and our collective light illuminate the sacred space where we will listen to various readings recounting the salvation story from the Creation through Abraham & Isaac, through the Exodus story through the prophetic tradition of Isaiah and Ezekiel until the lights are brought up to reveal a newly decorated church filled with Easter lilies and our beautiful Resurrection Cross. We will miss singing for the first time since the Sunday before Ash Wednesday the GREAT ALLELUIA before the Proclamation of the Good News (Gospel) of the Resurrection Story. We will miss the opportunity to bless the new waters of the baptismal font, renew the promises of our faith, and then be blessed with the fresh waters of renewal; in many of our churches we will miss the opportunity to welcome newly baptized and newly confirmed Catholic Christians into the faith community; and, we will miss the opportunity to embrace and kiss and shake hands as we say those 4 simple words “Peace be with you!” to each other, 4 simple words expressing our hope that for each one of us the inner transformation required to bring us wholeness and integrity in our lives will indeed take place.

My hope is that our inability to participate as a community will increase our appreciation and hunger for the great gift we are given not only with the gift of faith, but with the gift of a wonderful faith community.

As you/we enter these next 4 days, there are a number of resources you can use to celebrate. In addition, each day we will have a special message shared at 3 p.m. from the parish, along with the readings of the Service for that day.

Please check your email each day for updates and additional ways to celebrate.

Let us continue to hold each other in prayer and. of course, the entire human community, especially those directly affected by the virus and our workers on the front lines caring for the sick, comforting the mourning, serving the basic needs for food, shelter and safety for God’s people.

A blessed Holy week to all!
Peace!
Fr. Larry

Archdiocese of Chicago schedule of services for Holy Week.

Broadcast Masses and Holy Week Liturgies
Schedule for Holy Week liturgies
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper: Online Thursday at 5 p.m.
Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: Online Friday at 3 p.m.
Holy Saturday Easter Vigil: Online Saturday at 8 p.m.
Sunday Easter Mass (English, Spanish, Polish): Online Sunday at 6 a.m.
All these liturgies can be viewed anytime after their original online broadcast.
On Sunday:
ABC-7 will televise Easter Mass in English at noon.
Univision will televise Easter Mass in Spanish at 10 a.m.
Polvision will televise Easter Mass in Polish at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
On Radio:
WGN-720 will broadcast the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil from Holy Name Cathedral Saturday at 10 p.m.
WGN-720 will broadcast Easter Sunday Mass with Cardinal Blase Cupich on Sunday at 9 a.m.
https://radiotv.archchicago.org/television/broadcast-masses

This is a link to a Triduum celebration with prayer and music for each day (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil)

https://www.danschuttemusic.com/wordpressstore/easter-triduum/

Good Friday Walk for Justice – Stations of the Cross usually done in downtown Chicago raising up issues of justice. Click on this link for the Prayer service for this year. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-MXrfq8WcsRcmxeL0P-5_bkKJbrYGFh7/view